Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Chi-Leung Law
Starring: Jing Boran | Lau Ching-wan | Li Kai-chi | Nicholas Tse | Wu Gang | Yang Min | Yumiko Cheng
Jason says: “A friend of mine recently lamented on Twitter about the demise of the mystery movie in Hollywood, and the best thing I could point him to was a Chinese movie that will likely be more considered a martial
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Katie Dellamaggiore
Diane says: “How nice that I didn’t need to know anything about chess to enjoy this film. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even learn anything about chess from it. “Another ‘let’s root for the school kids’ doc, BROOKLYN
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Mark Ruskin
Starring: Adam DuPaul | Brian McGrail | Kristin Dougherty | Megan Hart | Nico Stone | Seymour Cassel
Jason says: “BOOSTER doesn’t do a whole lot; it could almost survive with its plot removed. It’s the sort of independent film that comes across as authentic to those from its neighborhood and has a sharp enough read on its
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Christian Petzold
Starring: Jasna Fritzi Bauer | Mark Waschke | Nina Hoss | Rainer Bock | Ronald Zehrfeld
Jason says: “BARBARA starts at an interesting place; others with its basic template will set things up, give the audience a sense of who its characters are before putting them in a new situation. Writer/director Christian Petzold goes a different
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Jonathan Paley | Ross Finkel | Trevor Martin
Jason says: “I’ve already seen and reviewed a couple of movies about Dominican ballplayers trying to make the American major leagues – one fairly lightweight documentary (RUMBO A LAS GRANDES LIGAS) and one feature (the excellent SUGAR) – so I
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Kei’ichi Sato
Starring: Kinya Kitaohgi | Masako Nozawa | Megumi Hayashibara | Yoshihiro Ike
Jason says: “These days, there aren’t a whole lot of movies being made using animation because they wouldn’t work any other way; digital capture and effects have come too far, so even ambitious manga are done live-action now. There are
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Álex de la Iglesia
Starring: Antonio Garrido | Blanca Portillo | Fernando Tejero | Jose Mota | Juan Luis Galiardo | Salma Hayek
Jason says: “Is Álex de la Iglesia getting a little soft as he ages? Though he’s not credited with the screenplay here (nor is frequent collaborator Jorge Guerricaechevarría), it still seems a bit surprising that de la Iglesia, given material
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Giddens Ko
Starring: Hao Shao-wen | Ke Zhendong | Michelle Chen | Owodog | Tsai Chang-hsien | Wan Wan | Yen Sheng-yu
Jason says: “After watching YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE, I learned that it was even more autobiographical than most coming-of-age movies; read a rumor that it was among the most elaborate attempts gestures ever made to declare one’s
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Xan Aranda
Chris says: “If you’ve ever seen Andrew Bird live, you can understand why anyone would want to make a film about him. A singer, songwriter and classically trained multi-instrumentalist (most notably on violin and guitar), Bird has gradually harvested a
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Mads Brügger
Jason says: “More than with most documentaries, I find myself in a bind when watching something like THE AMBASSADOR. The part of me that goes to the movies for a good story winds up in conflict with the part that
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